Food service equipment comprising a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster with floating platen to accommodate different food products having different thickness dimensions

ABSTRACT

Food service equipment comprises a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster which comprises an upper inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp for causing the food products to proceed in a first direction extending from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance and onto the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor conveys the food products into a semi-circular return product feeder which causes the food products to be conveyed in a second opposite direction extending from the front of the appliance toward the rear of the appliance and into an entry space defined by means of the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor, the two conveyors being synchronized together. The pair of conveyors convey the food products between heated platens respectively associated with the two conveyors whereby the food products are cooked or toasted. Additional pairs of conveyors can also be incorporated within the system, in a vertically stacked array, so as to effectively increase the length of travel experienced by the multiple food products without increasing the footprint of the equipment. In addition, upper and lower heated platens are operatively associated with the first and second upper and lower endless conveyors, and the upper heated platen is movably mounted within the food service equipment so as to move upwardly and downwardly and thereby permit different food products, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed through the food service equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/585,615 which was filed on May 3, 2017, thepriority benefits of which are hereby claimed.

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT COMPRISING A MULTIPLE-PASS FEEDER CONVEYOR ANDTOASTER WITH FLOATING PLATEN TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT FOOD PRODUCTSHAVING DIFFERENT THICKNESS DIMENSIONS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to food service equipment, andmore particularly to a new and improved food service equipment forpreparing tortillas or similar food products wherein, in lieu of foodpreparation personnel having to infeed the food products, to be cooked,toasted, or the like, in an individual or one-by-one manner, the foodservice equipment of the present invention enables multiple foodproducts to be inserted into the food service equipment in anessentially simultaneous manner whereby the multiple food products willbe conducted in a first direction, as may be considered to extend fromthe rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance, as a resultof the food products being disposed upon the upper run of a first upperendless conveyor belt which is moving in the first direction extendingfrom the rear of the equipment toward the front of the equipment. Theupper run of the first upper endless conveyor belt will then feed themultiple food products toward an arcuately configured semi-circularself-return product feeder, which extends transversely across the entirelateral extent of the upper run of the first upper endless conveyorbelt, such that the arcuately configured semi-circular self-returnproduct feeder will effectively reverse the direction in which the foodproducts are being conveyed so as to now convey the food products in asecond opposite direction, that is, in the direction extending from thefront of the equipment toward the rear of the equipment, and into aspace or bite defined between the lower run of the first upper endlessconveyor belt and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor belt,wherein the first and second endless conveyor belts comprisesynchronized conveyor belts. A first upper heated platen is disposedabove the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt, while asecond lower heated platen is disposed beneath the upper run of thesecond lower endless conveyor belt, wherein the first and second heatedplatens effectively impart heat to their respectively associated lowerand upper runs of the first and second conveyor belts. The second heatedplaten is fixed within the equipment, while the first heated platen ismovably mounted within the equipment so as to permit the lower run ofthe first upper endless conveyor, and the first upper heated platen,operatively associated therewith, to move upwardly and downwardly in afloating manner thereby permitting different food products, havedifferent thickness dimensions, to nevertheless be conveyed by the pairof cooperative endless conveyor belts through the equipment. Still yetfurther, an additional set or sets of endless conveyors may be utilizedin conjunction with the aforenoted set of first and second endlessconveyors order to extend the operational cycle time by means of whichparticular food products need to be properly cooked or toasted. All ofthe sets of endless conveyors are effectively stacked within a verticalarray whereby the footprint of the equipment remains small, so as tominimize the workspace required to house the equipment, whilesimultaneously extending the overall length of the conveyor system asneeded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional food service equipment which prepares, cooks, or toastsvarious different food products such as, for example, tortillas or thelike, for various food establishments, usually require food preparationpersonnel to feed the food products, to be cooked or toasted,individually, or one at a time, into the equipment. Obviously, this isvery inefficient and time consuming, particularly for a fast-food typefood establishment where quick, rapid, or shortened cooking orpreparation times are required in order to produce the cooked or toastedfood products within the shortened service times which effectivelydefine one of the more important at-tractive features or characteristicsof fast-food establishments.

A need therefore exists in the art for new and improved food serviceequipment. An additional need exists in the art for new and improvedfood service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook, or toastspecific food items. A still additional need exists in the art for newand improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook,or toast tortillas or similar type food items. A yet additional needexists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which canbe utilized in various different food establishments. A still yetadditional need exists in the art for new and improved food serviceequipment which can be utilized in various different foodestablishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants. A furtherneed exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment whichcan be utilized in various different food establishments to prepare,cook, or toast different food products which exhibit different thicknessdimensions. A yet further need exists in the art for new and improvedfood service equipment which can be utilized in various different foodestablishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants whereinquick turnaround time for cooking or preparing food item orders is ahighly sought-after feature or characteristic. A still further needexists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which canbe utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact yetefficient in providing the cooked food products. A still yet furtherneed exists in the art for new and improved food service equipment whichcan be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants wherein the appliance is very compact,efficient in providing the cooked food products, and can be operated bymeans of a minimum number of food preparation personnel. A yet stillfurther need exists in the art for new and improved food serviceequipment which can be utilized in various different foodestablishments, such as, for example, fast food restaurants wherein theequipment is very compact, efficient in providing the cooked foodproducts, can be easily operated by means of a minimum number of foodpreparation personnel, and can be utilized to prepare, cook, or toastnumerous food items substantially simultaneously as opposed to beingconstrained to process the food items singly, or in a one-by-onefashion.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

An overall objective of the present invention is to provide new andimproved food service equipment. An additional overall objective of thepresent invention is to provide new and improved food service equipmentwhich is adapted to prepare, cook, or toast specific food items. A stilladditional overall objective of the present invention is to provide newand improved food service equipment which is adapted to prepare, cook,or toast tortillas or similar type food items. A yet additional overallobjective of the present invention is to provide new and improved foodservice equipment which can be utilized in various different foodestablishments. A still yet additional overall objective of the presentinvention is to provide new and improved food service equipment whichcan be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants. A further overall objective of thepresent invention is to provide new and improved food service equipmentwhich can be utilized in various different food establishments toprepare, cook, or toast different food products which exhibit differentthickness dimensions. A yet further overall objective of the presentinvention is to provide new and improved food service equipment whichcan be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants, wherein quick turnaround time forcooking or preparing food item orders is a highly sought-after featureor characteristic. A still further overall objective of the presentinvention is to provide new and improved food service equipment whichcan be utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact yetefficient in providing the cooked food products. A yet still furtheroverall objective of the present invention is to provide new andimproved food service equipment which can be utilized in variousdifferent food establishments, such as, for example, fast foodrestaurants wherein the appliance is very compact, efficient inproviding the cooked food products, and can be operated by means of aminimum number of food preparation personnel. A still yet further needexists in the art for new and improved food service equipment which canbe utilized in various different food establishments, such as, forexample, fast food restaurants wherein the equipment is very compact,efficient in providing the cooked food products, can be easily operatedby means of a minimum number of food preparation personnel, and can beutilized to prepare, cook, or toast numerous food items substantiallysimultaneously as opposed to being constrained to process the food itemssingly, or in a one-by-one fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with theteachings and principles of the present invention through the provisionof new and improved food service equipment for preparing tortillas orsimilar food products wherein, in lieu of food preparation personnelhaving to infeed the food products, to be cooked, toasted, or the like,in an individual or one-by-one manner, the food service equipment of thepresent invention enables multiple food products to be inserted into thefood service equipment in an essentially simultaneous manner whereby themultiple food products will be conducted in a first direction, as may beconsidered to extend from the rear of the appliance toward the front ofthe appliance, upon the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor beltwhich is moving in the first direction extending from the rear of theequipment toward the front of the equipment. The upper run of the firstupper endless conveyor belt will then feed the multiple food productstoward an arcuately configured semi-circular self-return product feeder,which extends transversely across the entire lateral extent of the upperrun of the first upper endless conveyor belt, such that the arcuatelyconfigured semi-circular self-return product feeder will effectivelyreverse the direction in which the food products are being conveyed soas to now convey the food products in a second opposite direction, thatis, in the direction extending from the front of the equipment towardthe rear of the equipment, and into a space or bite defined between thelower run of the first upper endless conveyor belt and the upper run ofa second lower endless conveyor belt, wherein the first and secondendless conveyor belts comprise synchronized conveyor belts.

A first heated platen is disposed above the lower run of the first upperendless conveyor belt, while a second heated platen is disposed beneaththe upper run of the second lower endless conveyor belt so as toeffectively impart heat to their respectively associated lower and upperruns of the first and second conveyor belts. In this manner, as the foodproducts are conveyed in the second direction and pass through the spaceor bite defined by the cooperating lower run of the first upper conveyorbelt and the upper run of the second lower conveyor belt, the foodproducts will be cooked or toasted as desired. The first and secondendless conveyor belts then discharge the cooked or toasted foodproducts onto a horizontally oriented finished food product platformfrom which food preparation personnel can remove the food products inorder that the finished food products can be served to diners. It is tobe noted that the second lower heated platen, operatively associatedwith the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor, is fixed withinthe equipment, while the first heated platen, operatively associatedwith the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor, is movablymounted within the equipment so as to permit the lower run of the firstupper endless conveyor, and the first upper heated platen operativelyassociated therewith, to move upwardly and downwardly in a floatingmanner thereby permitting different food products, have differentthickness dimensions, to nevertheless be conveyed by the pair ofcooperative endless conveyor belts through the equipment. Alternatively,or supplementally, an inclined food product infeed ramp may beoperatively associated with the upper run of the first endless conveyorbelt so as to feed the multiple food products onto the upper run of thefirst endless conveyor belt, while still further, an inclined foodproduct discharge ramp may be disposed beneath the second lower endlessconveyor belt so as to conduct the cooked and toasted food products ontothe finished food product platform. Still yet further, an additional setor sets of end-less conveyors may be utilized in conjunction with theaforenoted set of first and second endless conveyors order to extend theoperational cycle time by means of which particular food products needto be properly cooked or toasted. All of the sets of endless conveyorsare effectively stacked within a vertical array whereby the footprint ofthe equipment remains small, so as to minimize the workspace required tohouse the equipment, while simultaneously extending the overall lengthof the conveyor system as needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other features and attendant advantages of the present inventionwill be more fully appreciated from the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in whichlike reference characters designate like or corresponding partsthroughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of new andimproved food service equipment which has been constructed in accordancewith the principles and teachings of the present invention and whichshows the corresponding parts thereof;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the new and improved food serviceequipment as illustrated within FIG. 1 and as viewed along the sectionline 2-2 in FIG. 1 so as to illustrate the various operative componentsof the food service equipment more clearly;

FIG. 3 is a front, side, top perspective view of the new and improvedfood service equipment as illustrated within FIGS. 1 and 2 andillustrates the various component parts of the food service equipmentfrom a perspective which is different from that which can be obtainedfrom FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 2, showing,however, a second embodiment of the equipment of the present inventionwherein multiple sets of endless conveyors can be arranged within avertically stacked array such that food products to be cooked can beconveyed along an ex-tended conveyor system while maintaining thefootprint of the equipment the same as that of the first embodiment asillustrated within FIGS. 1-3; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed view disclosing how the upper and lower heatedplatens are mounted within the equipment so as to enable the upperheated platen, operatively associated with the lower run of the firstupper endless conveyor, to move upwardly and downwardly so as to alwayscooperate with the upper run of the second lower endless conveyor, andits heated platen, so as to prepare, cook, or toast different foodproducts, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed throughthe equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3thereof, a first embodiment of new and improved food service equipmentis disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 100.More particularly, the new and improved food service equipment 100 hasbeen developed for preparing or cooking or toasting tortillas or similarfood products wherein, in lieu of food preparation personnel having toinfeed the food products, to be cooked, toasted, or the like, in anindividual or one-by-one manner, the food service equipment 100 of thepresent invention enables multiple food products to be inserted into thefood service equipment 100 in an essentially simultaneous manner. Morespecifically, and as can best be seen or appreciated from FIG. 3, thenew and improved food service equipment 100 is seen to comprise an upperfood product infeed ramp 102 which is oriented at an angle ofapproximately 45° with respect to the upper run 104 of a firsthorizontally oriented endless conveyor belt 106, as can best be seen orappreciated from FIG. 2. The upper food product infeed ramp 102 has aplurality of elongated glide members or rails 108 which, again, as canbest be seen or appreciated from FIG. 2, comprise a plurality ofelongated bars which are respectively disposed within a plurality ofelongated slots 110 defined within the upper food product infeed ramp102, and are disposed parallel to one another, such that the pluralityof elongated glide members or rails 108 project outwardly from theplurality of elongated slots 110 and above the upper surface portion ofthe upper food product infeed ramp 102.

In this manner, when multiple food products are placed upon the upperfood product infeed ramp 102, they will be conducted or conveyeddownwardly as a result of effectively sliding or gliding upon or alongthe plurality of elongated glide members or rails 108 of the foodproduct infeed ramp 102 so as to be deposited onto the upper run 104 ofthe first horizontally oriented endless conveyor belt 106. As can alsobe best seen or appreciated from FIGS. 2 and 3, opposite side edgeportions 116 of the upper food product infeed ramp 102 are respectivelyprovided with support tabs 116, only one of which is visible in FIGS. 2and 3, which are adapted to rest upon or be affixed to oppositelydisposed upper surface portions 118,120 of the equipment housing 122,and a first horizontally oriented support rod 124, which extendstransversely across the equipment 100 so as to be fixedly connectedwithin oppositely disposed side wall portions 126, 128, as can best beseen in FIG. 1, of the equipment housing 122, is disposed beneath thefood product infeed ramp 102 such that the first horizontally orientedsupport rod 124 can be accommodated within a horizontally oriented,transversely extending slotted portion 130 formed within theundersurface portion of the upper food product infeed ramp 102. In thismanner, the upper food product infeed ramp 102 is properly supported inits inclined position upon the equipment 100.

Continuing further, and as can best be appreciated from FIGS. 2 and 3,the lower end portion 132 of the upper food product infeed ramp 102terminates immediately adjacent to and just above the upper run 104 ofthe first upper endless conveyor belt 106 which is moving in a firstdirection D₁ extending from the rear end portion 112 of the equipment100 toward the front end portion 114 of the equipment 100. The upper run104 of the first upper endless conveyor belt 106 will then feed themultiple food products toward an arcuately configured substantiallysemi-circular self-return product feeder 134 which extends transverselyacross the entire lateral extent of the upper run 104 of the first upperendless conveyor belt 106 so as to effectively partially surround theleft drive roller 136 of the first upper conveyor belt 106. Thearcuately configured, substantially semi-circular self-return productfeeder 134 will thus effectively reverse the direction in which the foodproducts are being conveyed so as to now convey the food products in asecond opposite direction D₂, that is, in the direction extending fromthe front end portion 114 of the equipment 100 toward the rear endportion 112 of the equipment 100, and into a space or bite 138 definedbetween the lower run 140 of the first upper endless conveyor belt 106and the upper run 142 of a second lower endless conveyor belt 144,wherein the first and second endless conveyor belts 106,144 comprisesynchronized conveyor belts. It is also to be noted that a food productdrive roller 145 is disposed above the terminal end portion of the upperrun 104 of the first upper endless conveyor 106 so as to operativelycooperate with the upper run 104 of the first upper endless conveyor 106in effectively securing the food products upon the upper run 104 of thefirst upper endless conveyor 106 as the conveyed food products are aboutto encounter the arcuately configured, substantially semi-circularself-return product feeder 134. The food product drive roller 145 may bea vertically movable roller mechanism wherein the end portions of thesame, not shown, are disposed within vertically oriented, slots, notshown, defined within the side wall portions 126,128 of the equipmenthousing 122 such that the food product drive roller 145 may moveupwardly under the biasing force of a food product when the food productpass beneath the same and will move downwardly back toward itsdisposition in engagement with the upper run 104 of the first upperendless conveyor 10 under gravitational forces.

With reference continuing to be made to FIG. 2, it is also seen that afirst upper heated platen 146 is disposed above the lower run 140 of thefirst upper endless conveyor belt 106, while a second lower heatedplaten 148 is disposed beneath the upper run 142 of the second lowerendless conveyor belt 144 so as to effectively impart heat to theirrespectively associated lower and upper runs of the first and secondconveyor belts 106,144. Suitable heating coils or rods 150,152 areincorporated within the first and second heated platens 146,148 as canbest be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. In this manner, as the food products areconveyed in the second direction D₂ and pass through the space or bite138 defined between the cooperating lower run 140 of the first upperconveyor belt 106 and the upper run 142 of the second lower conveyorbelt 144, the food products will be cooked or toasted as desired. Thefirst and second endless conveyor belts 106,144 will then discharge thecooked or toasted food products onto an inclined food product dischargeramp 154 which is disposed beneath the second lower endless conveyorbelt 144 and which is disposed substantially parallel to the inclinedfood product infeed ramp 102.

Accordingly, the cooked or toasted food products will effectively beconducted or conveyed in a third reversed direction D₃ which extendsfrom the rear end portion 112 of the food service equipment 100 towardthe front end portion 114 of the food service equipment 100 or, in otherwords, in a direction which is substantially parallel to the firstdirection D₁ along which the uncooked food items were initiallyconveyed. It is noted that the inclined food product discharge ramp 154,in a manner similar to the food product infeed ramp 108, contains aplurality of elongated glide members or rails 156 so as to facilitatethe sliding or gliding conveying movement of the finished food productsdownwardly along the inclined food product discharge ramp 154 and onto ahorizontally oriented finished food product platform 158 from which foodpreparation personnel can remove the food products in order that thefinished food products can be served to diners. In a manner similar tothe fixation or disposition of the inclined food product infeed ramp 108within the upper region of the equipment 100, it is noted that the lowerend portion of the inclined food product discharge ramp 154 is providedwith a lip member 160 which is adapted to rest upon or be affixed to thefinished food product platform 158, while the upper rear end portion ofthe second inclined food product discharge ramp 154 is provided with ahooked portion 162, as can best be seen in FIG. 2, which is adapted tobe secured around a horizontally oriented, transversely extendingsupport rod 164 which is similar to support rod 124 utilized inconjunction with the upper inclined food pro-duct infeed ramp 102.

It is additionally noted that the first and second, upper and lowerheated platens 146,148 may be fabricated from any suitable metal, suchas, for example, aluminum, while the first and second, upper and lower,endless conveyor belts 106,144 may likewise be fabricated from anysuitable material, such as, for example, PTFE orpolytetrafluoroethylene. Still further, as can best be appreciated as aresult of additional reference being made to FIG. 5, the second lowerheated platen 148 is adapted to be fixedly mounted within the oppositelydisposed side walls 118,120 of the equipment housing 122 by means ofsuitable fasteners, such as, for example, a plurality of shoulder bolts149,149, while electrical connectors 151,151 are provided for electricalconnection to the heating coils 152 of the second lower heated platen148.

To the contrary, however, the first upper heated platen 146 is adaptedto be movably mounted upon the oppositely disposed side walls 118,120 ofthe equipment housing 122 such that the first upper heated platen 136 iseffectively able to move upwardly and downwardly with respect to theequipment housing 122. More particularly, it is seen that, in a mannersimilar to the mounting of the second lower heated platen 148 within theoppositely disposed side walls 118,120 of the equipment housing 122, thefirst upper heated platen 146 is mounted within the oppositely disposedside walls 118, 120 of the equipment housing 122 by means of suitablefasteners, such as, for example, shoulder bolts 153,153, only one ofwhich is actually able to be seen in FIG. 5, however, it is noted thatthe shoulder bolts 153,153 are adapted to be mounted within verticallyoriented slots 155,155. Electrical connectors 157,157 are provided forelectrical connection to the heating coils 150 of the first upper heatedplaten 146, and it is seen that the electrical connectors 157,157 passthrough vertically oriented slots 159,159. In this manner, when foodproducts, having different thickness dimensions pass between the lowerrun 140 of the first upper endless conveyor 106, and the upper run 142of the second lower endless conveyor 144 as the first upper and secondlower conveyors 106,144 convey the food products through the foodequipment 100 in the direction D₂, the upper platen 146 is effectivelypermitted to float upwardly and downwardly so as to in fact accommodatethe different food products having different thickness dimensions.

It is lastly noted in connection with the embodiment of the equipment asillustrated within FIGS. 1-3, and as can best be seen in FIG. 3, that ahorizontally oriented connecting rod 166 extends transversely across thefront end portion of the equipment 100 at an elevation above the upperrun 104 of the first upper endless conveyor belt 106, wherein theoppositely disposed end portions of the connecting rod 166 are fixedlysecured within the side wall portions 118,120 of the equipment housing122. In addition, a plurality of louvers 168 are fixedly mounted withinthe upper region of a rear wall member 170 of the equipment housing 122so as to provide exhaust air ventilation for the interior of theequipment 100 whereby heat emitted from the heated platens 146,148 andthe first and, second upper and lower endless conveyor belts 106,144 canbe exhausted from the interior portion of the equipment housing 122 toatmosphere. Still yet further, it is also noted that a user interface172 is provided upon a left front face portion 174 of the equipmenthousing 122. The user interface 172 can comprise various differentoperative controls for operating the equipment 100 such as, for example,the speed of the synchronized upper and lower endless conveyor belts106,144, the temperature level of the upper and lower heated platens146,148, and ON and OFF power switch, and the like. A drive motor 176 isillustrated for driving the first and second endless conveyors 106,144,and a power source 178 is illustrated for providing power to the drivemotor 176.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of new and improved serviceequipment is disclosed and is generally indicated by the referencecharacter 200. It is to be noted that component parts of the secondembodiment food service equipment which correspond to component parts ofthe first embodiment food service equipment 100 will be provided withcorresponding reference numbers except that they will be in the 200series. More particularly, the significant difference between the firstembodiment food service equipment 100 and the second embodiment foodservice equipment 200 resides in the number of sets of synchronizedconveyor belts. More particularly, in some food establishments, and inconnection with the cooking or toasting of different food products, thefood products need to be exposed to the heat from the heated platens fora greater period of cooking or toasting time than can be achieved bymeans of the passage of the food products between the lower run of thefirst upper endless conveyor belt 106 and the upper run of the secondlower endless conveyor belt 144.

One might immediately believe that the lengths of the endless conveyors106,144 simply need to be extended, however, increasing the length ofthe conveyors 106,144 requires additional floor space, or additionalcountertop space, because longer conveyors occupy a larger footprint offloor space. Therefore, in accordance with the principles and teachingsof the second embodiment of the present invention, the food serviceequipment 200 comprises a first upper set of upper and lower endlessconveyor belts 206, 244, and a second lower set of upper and lowerendless conveyor belts 206′, 244′ wherein, as can be readily seen fromFIG. 4, the sets of endless conveyor belts are effectively stacked atopeach other in a vertical array. In this manner, the effective footprintof the second embodiment food service equipment 200 remains the same asthat of the first embodiment food service equipment 100, and yet theeffective length of the conveyor is effectively tripled as a result ofthe food products passing between the lower run 240 of the first upperendless conveyor 206 and the upper run 242 of the first lower endlessconveyor 244 in the direction D₂ which extends from the front of theequipment 200 to the rear of the equipment 200, the food productssubsequently passing between the lower run 243 of the first lowerendless conveyor 244 and the upper run 204′ of the second lower endlessconveyor 206 in the direction D₃′ which extends from the rear of theequipment 200 to the front of the equipment 200, and lastly as a resultof the food pro-ducts passing between the lower run 240′ of the secondupper endless conveyor belt 206′ and the upper run 242′ in the directionD₄′ which extends from the front of the equipment 200 to the rear of theequipment 200. Of course, appropriate semi-circular self-return productfeeders 234, 234′, and 234″, similar to semi-circular self-returnproduct feeder 134, are provided in connection with the variousconveyors so as to smoothly and efficiently convey the food productsbetween the different upper and lower runs of the conveyors. It is notedstill further that in accordance with the principles and teachings ofthe present invention, even more additional sets of end-less conveyorscan be incorporated within the food service equipment than asillustrated either in accordance with the first embodiment food serviceequipment 100 or the second food service equipment 200.

Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the presentinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

NUMBER KEY REFERENCE

-   100—Equipment-   102—First inclined food product infeed conveyor-   104—Upper run of first endless conveyor 106-   106—First endless conveyor-   108—Glide rails defined within first inclined food product infeed    conveyor-   110—Slots defined within first inclined product infeed conveyor for    accommodating glide rails 108-   112—Rear end portion of equipment 100-   114—Front end portion of equipment 100-   116—Tabs connecting first inclined food product infeed conveyor 102    to side wall portions 118,120 of equipment 100-   118,120—Side wall portions of equipment 100-   122—Equipment housing-   124—Support rod for first inclined food product infeed conveyor 102-   126,128—Oppositely disposed side walls of housing 122-   130—Slot defined within undersurface of first inclined food product    infeed conveyor 102 for accommodating rod 124-   132—Lower end edge portion of first inclined food product infeed    conveyor 102-   134—Self-return product feeder-   136—Left drive roller of first upper endless conveyor 106-   138—Space or bite defined between the upper and lower endless    conveyors 106,144-   140—Lower run of first endless conveyor 106-   142—Upper run of second endless conveyor 144-   144—Second endless conveyor-   145—Product drive roller operatively associated with upper run 142    of endless conveyor 106-   146—First upper platen associated with lower run 140 of endless    conveyor 106-   148—Second lower platen associated with upper run 142 of endless    conveyor 144-   149—Shoulder bolt fasteners for second lower heated platen 148-   150—Heating coil/rods disposed within first upper platen 146-   151—Electrical connectors for heating coils 152 of heated platen 148-   152—Heating coil/rods disposed within second lower plate 148-   153—Shoulder bolt fasteners for first upper heated platen 146-   154—Second inclined food product discharge conveyor-   155—Vertically oriented slots for accommodating shoulder bolts 153-   156—Rails within second inclined food product discharge conveyor 154-   157—Electrical connectors for heating coils 150 of heated platen 146-   158—Platform for finished food products-   159—Vertically oriented slots for accommodating electrical    connectors 157-   160—Lower edge portion of second inclined food product discharge    conveyor 154-   162—Fastening hook of second inclined food product discharge    conveyor 154 for accommodating support rod 164-   164—Support rod for second inclined food product discharge conveyor    154-   166—Horizontally oriented transversely extending connecting rod of    equipment 100-   168—Ventilation louvers mounted in rear wall 170 of equipment    housing 122-   170—Rear wall of equipment housing 122-   172—User interface-   174—Front wall of housing 122-   176—Drive motor for the upper and lower endless conveyors 106,144-   178—Power source for drive motor 176-   200—Second embodiment new food service equipment-   204—Upper run of first upper endless conveyor 206-   206—First upper endless conveyor of first set of endless conveyors-   206′—Second upper endless conveyor of second set of endless    conveyors-   234—Self-return product feeder-   234′—Self-return product feeder-   234″—Self-return product feeder-   240—Lower run of first upper endless conveyor 206-   240′—Lower run of second upper endless conveyor 206′-   242—Upper run of first lower endless conveyor 244-   242′—Upper run of second lower endless conveyor 244′-   243—Lower run of first lower endless conveyor 244-   243′—Lower run of second lower endless conveyor 244′-   244—First lower endless conveyor of first set of endless conveyors-   244′—Second lower endless conveyor of second set of endless    conveyors

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent,is:
 1. Food service equipment for conveying multiple food products to becooked or toasted along a multiple-pass/multiple directional conveyingsystem, comprising: a first upper endless belt conveyor for conveyingmultiple food products along a first conveyor path extending in a firstdirection of travel from a first end of said first endless belt conveyorto a second end of said first endless belt conveyor; a second lowerendless belt conveyor synchronized with said first upper endless beltconveyor in such a manner that an upper run portion of said secondendless belt conveyor operatively cooperates with a lower run portion ofsaid first endless belt conveyor whereby, together, said first andsecond endless belt conveyors, simultaneously and in conjunction witheach other, convey the multiple products along a second conveyor pathextending in a second direction which is opposite to said firstdirection and which extends from said second end of said first endlessbelt conveyor and a first end of said second endless belt conveyor to asecond end of said second endless belt conveyor; and first and secondupper and lower heated platens respectively associated with said lowerrun portion of said first upper endless belt conveyor and said upper runportion of said second lower endless belt conveyor for imparting heat tosaid lower run portion of said first endless belt conveyor and saidupper run portion of said second endless belt conveyor such that themultiple food products, being conveyed in said second direction by saidpair of synchronized conveyors, are cooked, toasted, and discharged fromsaid second end of said second endless conveyor, wherein said firstupper heated platen, operatively associated with said lower run of saidfirst upper endless conveyor, is movably mounted upon said food serviceequipment so as to accommodate different food products having differentthickness dimensions such that different food products, having differentthickness dimensions, can be conveyed through said food serviceequipment.
 2. The equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said firstupper heated platen, operatively associated with said lower run of saidfirst upper endless conveyor, has opposite ends thereof mounted uponsaid food service equipment by fasteners, wherein said fasteners aredisposed within vertically oriented slots defined within oppositelydisposed side walls of said food service equipment so as to permit saidfirst upper heated platen to move vertically, upwardly and downwardly,so as to permit different food products, having different thicknessdimensions, to be conveyed between said lower run portion of said firstupper endless conveyor and said upper run portion of said second lowerendless conveyor.
 3. The equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein:said first upper heated platen has heating coils embedded therein; andelectrical connectors provide electricity to said heating coils suchthat when said heating coils are energized, said heating coils can heatsaid first upper heated platen.
 4. The equipment as set forth in claim3, wherein: said electrical connectors for said heating coils of saidfirst upper heated platen are disposed within vertically oriented slotsdisposed within oppositely disposed side walls of said food serviceequipment so as to permit said electrical connectors, operativelyassociated with said first upper heated platen, to move vertically,upwardly and downwardly, along with said vertical movement of said firstupper heated platen so as to permit different food products, havingdifferent thickness dimensions, to be conveyed between said lower runportion of said first upper endless conveyor and said upper run portionof said second lower endless conveyor.
 5. The equipment as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising: a self-return product feeder operativelyassociated with said first and second endless conveyors for reversingthe direction of conveyance of the multiple food products, as themultiple foodproducts travel in said first direction along said upperrun portion of said first upper endless conveyor, and for conducting themultiple food products toward said first and second endless conveyorssuch that the multiple food products can be conveyed by said first andsecond upper and lower endless conveyors in said second direction. 6.The equipment as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a driveproduct roller operatively associated with said upper run portion ofsaid first upper endless conveyor so as to operatively cooperate withsaid upper run portion of said first endless conveyor in conveying themultiple food products toward and into said self-return product feeder.7. The equipment as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: ahorizontally oriented platform for receiving the cooked and toasted foodproducts when discharged from said second endless conveyor.
 8. Theequipment as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a food productinfeed conveyor ramp upon which the multiple food products are depositedand for conveying the multiple food products onto said upper run portionof said first endless conveyor.
 9. The equipment as set forth in claim8, wherein: said food product infeed conveyor ramp comprises a fixedinclined conveyor ramp.
 10. The equipment as set forth in claim 9,wherein: said inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp is inclined atan angle of approximately 45° with respect to the horizontal.
 11. Theequipment as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said inclined food productinfeed conveyor ramp has a plurality of glide rails, fixedly mountedwithin said inclined food product infeed conveyor and disposed parallelto one another, so as to facilitate the gliding conveying of themultiple food products along said inclined food product infeed conveyorramp toward said first endless conveyor.
 12. The equipment as set forthin claim 1, further comprising: a food product discharge conveyor rampfor receiving the multiple cooked and toasted food products from saidsecond end of said second endless conveyor and for conveying themultiple food products in a direction parallel to said first direction.13. The equipment as set forth in claim 12, wherein: said food productdischarge conveyor ramp comprises a fixed inclined conveyor ramp. 14.The equipment as set forth in claim 13, wherein: said inclined foodproduct discharge conveyor ramp is inclined at an angle of approximately45° with respect to the horizontal.
 15. The equipment as set forth inclaim 13, wherein: said inclined food product discharge conveyor ramphas a plurality of glide rails, fixedly mounted therein and disposedparallel to each other, so as to facilitate the gliding conveying of themultiple food products along said inclined food product dischargeconveyor ramp.
 16. The equipment as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising: a housing; and a user interface incorporated upon saidhousing for enabling personnel to input commands in order to controloperative parameters of said equipment which are selected from the groupcomprising the speed of said pair of synchronized conveyors, thetemperature of said heated platens, an ON power switch, and an OFF powerswitch.
 17. The equipment as set forth in claim 16, further comprising:ventilation louvers mounted upon said housing so as to permit heat frominterior portions of said housing, as generated by said heated platens,to escape to atmosphere.
 18. The equipment as set forth in claim 1,further comprising: at least one additional conveyor operativelyassociated with said first and second endless conveyors whereby theeffective conveyor length, along which the multiple food productstravel, is at least tripled with respect to said first conveyor path.19. The equipment as set forth in claim 18, wherein said at least oneadditional conveyor and said first and second endless conveyors aredisposed within a vertically stacked array such that said effectiveconveyor length, along which the multiple food products travel, is atleast tripled, with respect to conveyance of the food products alongsaid upper run portion of said first upper endless conveyor, withoutincreasing the footprint of said food service equipment.